Former Nationals TV analyst Rob Dibble addressed his departure from the MASN broadcast booth last year after he, on-air, told Nationals P Stephen Strasburg "to 'suck it up,' before the extent of Strasburg's elbow injury had become public." Dibble said, "Listen, it's their team, they acted in their own interests." He added, "It was basically Strasburg's father (who) e-mailed the owner and basically was offended by what I said. ... The owner wanted me out of there, so that's the bottom line." Dibble also noted he "never got fired." Dibble: "I'm still being paid by MASN. You know, a lot of the bloggers got that wrong, but I let 'em keep it wrong" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/7).
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Matheny (r) joins FS Midwest as analyst
for pregame and postgame coverage |
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES: Former MLB Cardinals players Mike Matheny and John Mabry have joined FS Midwest. Matheny will serve as an analyst on some Cardinals pregame and postgame coverage, while Mabry will serve as a pregame analyst when Matheny and fellow analyst Cal Eldred are not available. FSN also has hired Jay Randolph, who will contribute features on Cardinals personalities and interviews, among other things (FSN)....Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has hired MLS Earthquakes announcer Jim Kozimor as a "SportsNet Central" anchor. Kozimor, who will maintain his Earthquakes duties, also will contribute to other studio shows and game telecasts (CSN).
DOCUMENTARY TREATMENT: In San Antonio, Dan McCarney reports FS Southwest is expected to air a show based around the Univ. of Texas-San Antonio football program that would be "based on HBO's popular NFL program 'Hard Knocks.'" UTSA is playing its first football games this fall, and the show would feature coach Larry Coker, players, AD Lynn Hickey and UTSA officials "in an effort to chronicle the total endeavor of starting a major college program from scratch." FS Southwest Dir of Media Relations Ramon Alvarez said that the "yet-to-be titled show will 'probably' begin in early May." Alvarez added that the program "would follow the Roadrunners in monthly, half-hour installments leading up to their first game this fall" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 4/8)....HBO officials indicated that Pro Football HOFer Joe Namath "will be the subject" of a documentary on the net. HBO Sports "didn't release a projected air date for the program, but it apparently is in the production phase" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/8).
